Iranian Women: Highly Educated, But Still Illiterate

When I get into debating Iranians about the general low value of the Islamic state, especially over the dehumanizing effect of the international symbol of women’s institutionalized oppression by Islam, and the hejab, inevitably I get this argument back, “In Iran women are more highly educated than men… blah blah blah…”

To which I smile and say, “Yes but Iranian women are illiterate.”

Which usually starts a really big fire, and even more heated argument. Because technically this is true. Here, I’ll say it another way that should make you even more angry.

Iranian women are unable to read and write.

Of course this is a trick. To get you to consider that which you may have learned not to consider. Until your anger at my infuriating statement opens up your pores so you can get some Sho-oor to go with your Fahm.

In 2012, women made up over 60 percent of the university student body in Iran. But what were they studying? And what were they allowed to study? What were they allowed to read? And most importantly what were they allowed to write?

Given the resulting vacuum of Iranian women’s intellectual thought, as expressed either literally or in abstract, I’m going with, not much. Certainly NO modification has been made on the most egregious claim by the men who run Islam Inc. these days, or the entire validity and practical value of a women as defined by her man-required cloth veil.

Because even the Islamic Republic Empire of Iran has laws against the automatic rape of women, or even their slightest public sexual discrimination. So protecting women “from their own beauty” when so much modern Islamic and common law does such a better job of it, is ludicrous. Yet no Iranian Maryam Luther has yet to nail her 95 reasons why women in Islam don’t need to worry about those “Arab tribal liberties” anymore, to the door of the Mashad mosque.

No Iranian woman has apparently studied enough, or at least enough Islamic law to get that in this day and age, the marriage, inheritance, property ownership, and legal disputes from man-created laws defining women as specifically worth one quarter of a man, are irrelevant and therefore entirely invalid. In a modern Islamic State no less!

So if Iranian women are this oppressed. Yet this highly educated. With so many of them attending classes. What pray tell, are they all studying?

Allameh Tabatabai University is Iran’s largest university for the humanities. It is where most Iranian women go. It is the Pepperdine of Iran. With as many if not more nose and boob jobs. The rest of Iran’s internationally top-ranked Universities are all useless “Tech” schools. I say useless because even with all the brilliance, if you see Iran doing anything technological these days, it is at best copying everyone else’s technology and ideas. We are certainly smart enough to figure anything we want, out, but we don’t apparently know what to make from scratch.

– Apple was not invented in Iran

– Tesla is not an Iranian car

– The top Iranian app is “Hokm for Hustlers”

This may be why our most educated Iranian women, like our educated Iranian men, or our useless top in the world technologists, don’t apparently know anything. Or at least they don’t seem to know things that could be useful, about their own existence, their rights as people. As compared to those in the rest of the world, that have apparently figured it all out already.

But if you are an Iranian woman, and are therefore ordained by God the “luxury” to have nothing better to do with your time, given you’re not really allowed to do anything anyway, why then, Allameh Tabatabai University is the place for you my dear! Open your mind, clear your thoughts, leave your opinion or reason, with your shoes at the door, tighten up that headscarf, and let’s get ready for some Islamically pre-sanitized knowledge!

Misfortunately named after Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei or let us not forget his royal court title, Seyed Mohammad Hossein Tabatabaei (1904-1981), considered to be one of the most prominent thinkers of philosophy and contemporary Shia Islam. Which isn’t saying much. He is most famous for many books, but primarily one book. The “Tafsir al-Mizan”. Or as I translate it, “Adjustments I’d like to make to your ridiculously childish misinterpretation of the Qoran.”

Here are his other books:

Shi’a Islam (Persian: Shi’ah dar islam‎)

Risalah dar hukumat-i islami, (Treatise on Islamic Government).

Hashiyah-i kifayah (Glosses upon al-Kifayah).

Risalah dar quwwah wafi'(Treatise on Potentiality and Actuality).

Risalah dar ithbat-i dha~t (Treatise on the Proof of the Divine Essence).

Risalah dar sifat (Treatise on the Divine Attributes).

Risalah dar ata (Treatise on the Divine Acts).

Risalah dar wasa’il (Treatise on Means).

Risalah dar insan qabl al-dunya (Treatise on Man before the World)

Risalah dar insan fi al-dunya (Treatise on Man in the World).

Risalah dar insan ba’d al-dunya (Treatise on Man after the World).

Risalah dar nubuwwat (Treatise on Prophecy).

Risalah dar wilayat (Treatise on Initiation).

Risalah dar mushtaqqat (Treatise on Derivatives).

Risalah dar burhan (Treatise on Demonstration).

Risalah dar mughalatah (Treatise on Sophism).

Risalah dar tahlil (Treatise on Analysis).

Risalah dar tarkib (Treatise on Synthesis).

Risalah dar i’tibarat (Treatise on Contingents).

Risalah dar nubuwwat wa manamat (Treatise on Prophecy and Dreams)

Qur’an dar Islam (The Qur’an in Islam).

As you can see, not much outside of the apparently fascinating topic of Islam. Certainly he has an opinion about it! Somebody give that man a University! Quick!

As supposedly the best place for a woman to get a proper useful non-technology education however, as you can see, it’s not looking good is it? But it’s not as bad as it sounds either. Just look at all the wonderful subjects you can study here:

Department of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages

Persian Language and Literature

Arabic Language and Literature

Linguistics

English

Russian

Turkish

Department of Economics

Economic Sciences

Economic Development and Planning

Environmental Economics

Mathematical Statistics

Social and economic statistics

Financial Mathematics

Economy, oil and gas

College of Insurance

Insurance management

Computing science and Insurance Planning

Law and Political Science

International Relations

Political Science

Rights

Psychology and Educational Sciences

Psychology

Advice

Education

Social Sciences

Social Networking

Social Services

Social Research

Social Work

Journalism

PR

Family Counseling

Management and Accounting

Accounting

Public Management

Business Administration

Industrial Management

Tourism

Hotel Management

Theology

Philosophy

Islamic Science of the Quran and Hadith

Looks pretty good actually. I’d add French, German, Italian, and Mandarin to the languages (At least Szechuan!). But if you missed it, don’t. Although recently the “Women’s studies” program was re-instated after it was shut down last year, it should not be confused with “Real-Women’s Studies”, because they don’t offer any of that here. Or anywhere in Iran. I mean clearly. Just look at the state of women’s rights in Iran. No, I mean Real-Women’s rights. Islamic-Women’s rights in Iran, is at the very Top worldwide.

For example you will never see this course ever offered in Iran. Ever. Never.

ADVANCED FEMINIST THEORY Instructor: L Nelson Units: 4 Course Number: GWS 104 Semester: Spring 2014 CCN: 32951
“Feminist theory examines the basic categories that structure social life and that condition dominant modes of thought. Feminist theory engages with many currents of thought such as liberalism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, postcolonial theory, and transnational feminist theory. In this course, students will gain a working knowledge of the range and uses of feminist theory.”

As of 2013, 4.5 million Iranian students were enrolled in universities. Iranian universities churn out about 750,000 graduates each year. The syllabus of all universities in Iran is monitored and defined by a national council of religious leaders.

The University of Tehran (founded in 1934) is the oldest and biggest university in Iran. It has been the birthplace of several social and political movements. All of which have been successfully squashed into oblivion. Actual oblivion, not the Tom Cruise movie.

Tarbiat Modares University is the only exclusively post-graduate institute in Iran. It only offers Master’s, PhD, and Postdoc programs. That’s some serious studying!

Sharif University of Technology is even tougher, accepting barely 1% of those passing the impossibly tough Konkoor entrance exam (not Concours, Iran’s KonKoor is called so, because you study until you are blind). Sharif is internationally recognized with the highest percentage of graduates seeking even higher education abroad. Usually hoping to stay out of Iran, if they ever get out. The chair of the Electrical Engineering Department of Stanford University no doubt trying to keep Stanford ahead of the electrical engineering student recruiting curve, said, “Without a doubt the finest university in the world preparing undergraduate electrical engineers is Sharif University of Technology in Tehran”. In another speech by another of Stanford’s Professors, Burton Richter’s opinion was: “The students here are very impressive, I expect to hear a lot more from you all in the future.” Unfortunately Professor Richter can only hear from those students related to a connected government official, or high ranking Bazar executive. In spite of this, Sharif university school of engineering is still acknowledged as one of world best schools of engineering.

K.N.Toosi University of Technology, and Amirkabir University of Technology are among the most prestigious universities in Tehran. Other major universities are in Shiraz, Tabriz, Esfahan, Mashhad, Ahvaz, Kerman, Kermanshah, Babol Sar, Rasht, and Orumiyeh.

In all there are about 50 colleges and 40 technological institutes offering entirely useless technological degrees and pointless other Islam-approved studies in the following areas that only seem like they are for military weapons research.

Robotics Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Computer Engineering and Information Technology

Electrical Engineering

Industrial Engineering

Marine Technology

Mathematics and Computer Science

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and Metallurgy Engineering

Energy Engineering and Physics

Polymer and Color Engineering

Textile Engineering

Petroleum Engineering

After 33 years of this Islamic Republic Empire, after all the university educations, out of the billions of math problems solved, trillions of terms memorized while walking in the parks holding hands pretending not to flirt with those cute guys who are also holding hands and pretending not to flirt, Iranian women as a whole, even if you add all the “chicks” internationally, have literally squat to show for it.

I therefore contend, Iranian women are effectively illiterate.

Among many more like it, here is the culmination of Iranian educational prowess:

The Shahbal Drone:

“The Shahbal is a close-range multi-role UAV. It is designed for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, along with patrols and pilot training. The Shahbal is able to complete missions close to enemy radar. The Shahbal is capable of high speed fast maneuvers in both civil and military application. Control is both in manual (radio control) and by autopilot (GPS), as well as nap-of-the-earth maneuvering, such as terrain following, as well as terrain avoidance. Payloads range from small cameras and telemetry systems to heavy munitions and weapons. Maximum payload weight is 5.5 kg (12 lb).”

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